'My phone died so I can't access my bus ticket' excuse

mayneway · 2026-10-18T19:42:29+0100

Llandudno said:
Sadly there are people who just grab the stuff anyway from Convenience Stores and Greggs etc and just walk out…

Exactly and sadly there are people who just walk on the bus and sit down. Sitting there arguing threatening to call the police simply holds up the people who have paid and just want to get home etc.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 19:49 ==

mmh said:
It's the bus company's fault that I have to use a mobile phone. I'd much prefer my (expensive) pass on a smartcard, and I have a smartcard from the bus company, but they won't sell it that way.

This is happening more and more certainly here in Manchester, and physical cards, paper tickets and even mobile app QR codes are slowly being replaced by virtual cards stored in your E wallet and you simply do face or finger recognition and then place your phone on the reader as if your paying with your bank card but it actually recognises your pass.
It slows down boarding significantly but apparently is part of a big crack down on fraud where images of QR codes are sent to hundreds of punters every day to use.

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Statto · 2026-10-18T20:36:35+0100

I've had this situation on a bus i was on a couple of years ago, i was on an Arriva North West X30 going from Warrington to Chester a passenger get's on in Helsby claiming his mobile data wasn't working trying to get a free ride, but the bus driver was having non of it, & refused to let him travel, so cue stand off, the driver ends up calling the Police in order to remove the passenger, the bus ended up 30 minutes late because of it, but the passenger never got the free ride as he walked off after the Police arrived.

TUC · 2026-10-18T21:24:35+0100

Statto said:
I've had this situation on a bus i was on a couple of years ago, i was on an Arriva North West X30 going from Warrington to Chester a passenger get's on in Helsby claiming his mobile data wasn't working trying to get a free ride, but the bus driver was having non of it, & refused to let him travel, so cue stand off, the driver ends up calling the Police in order to remove the passenger, the bus ended up 30 minutes late because of it, but the passenger never got the free ride as he walked off after the Police arrived.

A delay well worth having to experience.

Starmill · 2026-10-18T21:57:59+0100

TUC said:
A delay well worth having to experience.

If you want to waste thirty minutes of your own time to see a stranger eat dirt, that's your look out. I'd vastly rather be on time thanks. And I'd wager so would everyone else on the bus...

I'd complain about that if I experienced it and ask for some money back from the bus company for causing so much inconvenience to my day. There are enough delays due to circumstances outside their control such as road closures to go adding more.

TUC · 2026-10-18T22:01:40+0100

Starmill said:
If you want to waste thirty minutes of your own time to see a stranger eat dirt, that's your look out. I'd vastly rather be on time thanks. And I'd wager so would everyone else on the bus...

I'd complain about that if I experienced it and ask for some money back from the bus company for causing so much inconvenience to my day. There are enough delays due to circumstances outside their control such as road closures to go adding more.

'Eat dirt'? He has a simple choice. To get off the bus.

Or are you expect us all to accept fare evaders and thieves for the sake of not getting delayed?

Starmill · 2026-10-18T22:03:19+0100

TUC said:
'Eat dirt'? He has a simple choice. To get off the bus.

Or are you expect us all to accept fare evaders and thieves for the sake of not getting delayed?

I'm saying it's none of your business if others pay or not. It's my business if my service is half an hour late, however.

TUC · 2026-10-18T22:06:20+0100

Starmill said:
I'm saying it's none of your business if others pay or not. It's my business if my service is half an hour late, however.

It's very much my business if it leads to higher fares or greater public subsidies, especially if it adds further to a culture all too prevalent in society of thinking no one one will challenge you if you jump barriers, shoplift etc.

As New York City demonstrated, zero tolerance improves the much wider atmosphere of a place.

Starmill · 2026-10-18T22:07:59+0100

TUC said:
It's very much my business if it leads to higher fares or greater public subsidies, especially if it adds further to a culture all too prevalent in society of thinking no one one will challenge you if you jump barriers, shoplift etc.

As New York City demonstrated, zero tolerance improves the much wider atmosphere of a place.

In which case there are proper ways of managing the situation. Delaying a bus thirty minutes isn't one of them.

TUC · 2026-10-19T05:50:08+0100

Starmill said:
In which case there are proper ways of managing the situation. Delaying a bus thirty minutes isn't one of them.

The 'proper ways' being what?

Starmill · 2026-10-19T09:16:16+0100

TUC said:
The 'proper ways' being what?

A revenue protection team, as explained in post #9.

Northerngirl · 2026-10-19T09:18:37+0100

Starmill said:
A revenue protection team, as explained in post #9.

And paying the wages of some thugs to shout at a kid without any legal powers is definitely a good use of money

TUC · 2026-10-19T09:26:22+0100

Starmill said:
A revenue protection team, as explained in post #9.

Aren't they for where a passenger has, by whatever means, already got onto a bus without a ticket (or overstayed their journey), not for where a ticketless passenger needs to be denied boardimg?

Iskra · 2026-10-19T09:34:03+0100

Much easier just to explain very loudly that the bus won’t be moving until the passenger gets off to all passengers on board. Won’t be long before the passengers sort it out themselves.

Rab Smith · 2026-10-19T10:17:28+0100

Iskra said:
Much easier just to explain very loudly that the bus won’t be moving until the passenger gets off to all passengers on board. Won’t be long before the passengers sort it out themselves.

Plenty videos on YouTube about this very topic. Some are quite funny to hear the other passengers go radge and the offender getting off the bus!

'My phone died so I can't access my bus ticket' excuse

mayneway

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Statto

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Starmill

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